Professional Soils Laboratory

Geotechnical & Materials

Testing Specialists

Telephone: 01302 768098

Email: awatkins@prosoils.co.uk

Web: www.prosoils.co.uk

Professional Soils Laboratory Ltd , 5 / 7 Hexthorpe Road, Hexthorpe, Doncaster,

South Yorkshire DN4 0AR

Professional Soils Laboratory

Contents

Section 1. Introduction

Section 2. About PSL

The team

Quality & accreditation

Section 3. Laboratory Testing

Classification testing

Earthworks & Landfill Testing

Settlement & Strength

Effective Stress Testing

Chemical & Electrochemical

Rock & Materials

Section 4. In Situ Geotechnical Testing

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Introduction

Professional Soils Laboratory Ltd is a fully independent UKAS accredited geotechnical

and materials testing facility which was established in July 2004, previously being part of

a well known construction company Thyssen GB Ltd.

Centrally based in Doncaster with a team of almost 40 laboratory and field staff PSL has

quickly become one of the countries leading geotechnical laboratories.

Our location gives us excellent access to the A1 / M18 / M1 and M62 motorways and

means wherever our clients samples or insitu testing requirements are we are able to

meet their expectations at their convenience.

Our flexibility and client focused approach has opened up many opportunities and

allowed us to work on some of the nations most prestigious projects such as the Olympic

Park and Village as well as numerous road and rail projects.

We have an expansive client base including consultants, ground works engineers and

drilling and earthworks contractors and whether working for the small local developers or

the global multi disciplinary consultancies we like to put the emphasis on building close
working relationships with both parties being stakeholders working towards a common

goal.

We work in the same way with a network of accredited partner laboratories that enables

us to offer a full range of value services to the geotechnical and geo-environmental

sectors.

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About PSL

The team
Overseen by Managing Directors Anthony Watkins and Russell Gunson who both have

over 25 years experience in the field of Geotechnics and materials testing at Thyssen

and PSL Ltd.

With more than 70 years experience between the senior management PSL are able to

offer expert advice to our clients to ensure that they are getting full benefit of our service.

PSL boasts a vastly experienced group of technicians many of which have worked with

the business since formation and many have experience in other nationally recognised

soils laboratories.

Quality & accreditation

At PSL we are very proud of our service and feel that the quality of what we offer is as

important as the value of the service.

Robert Berriman the laboratory quality manager ensures that the highest level of quality

is achieved and maintained in our operations and that our clients are getting consistency

by implementation of internal auditing and by taking part in proficiency testing schemes

with other soils laboratories.

Since first gaining UKAS certification in 2006 we have added to our scope of accredited
methods year on year and this now covers our full range of Insitu testing techniques

along with testing for the subsidence claims industry.

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Laboratory Testing

We are equipped to carry out a wide range of testing as specified in BS1377, SHW,

ISRM, BRE and various BSEN methods.

As well as the routine testing we also specialise in the testing of soils for ground

improvement techniques such as lime and cement stabilisation as well as swelling /

heave and soil suction testing for the subsidence claims industry.

All our reports are supplied by email and we are able to report AGS data when required.

Classification Testing

> Moisture Content

> Atterberg Limits

> Particle Density

> Particle Size Analysis

> Bulk / Dry Density

> Soil Suction

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Laboratory Testing

Earthworks & Landfill Testing

> 12 No. Triaxial Permeability Systems

> 12 Fully Automated Triaxial Permeability Systems

> 2.5Kg Compaction

> 4.5Kg Compaction

> Vibrating Hammer Compaction

> Moisture Condition Value (MCV)

> California Bearing Ratio (CBR)

> Stabilisation trials

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Laboratory Testing

Settlement & Strength

> 30 fully automated one dimensional consolidation frames

> One dimensional consolidation properties

> Swelling pressure & swell / heave potential testing

> Unconsolidated undrained triaxial testing

> Unconfined compressive strength

> 18 shear boxes (60mm)

> Large shear box testing

> Ring shear testing

> Peak and Residual testing

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Laboratory Testing

Effective Stress Testing

> 22 No. State of the Art fully instrumented automated systems

> Undrained or Drained test conditions

> 100mm and 38mm Cells

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Laboratory Testing

Chemical & Electrochemical

> BRE & TRL Sulphate suites

> pH

> Organic / Loss on ignition

> Choride

> Carbonate

> Redox & Resistivity testing

> Contamination testing

> Waste acceptance

> Asbestos

> Topsoil certification to BS3882

Rock & Materials

> Tests on Sub base and capping materials

> Constituents of recycled materials

> Point load index

> UCS

> Los Angeles and 10% fines

> Slag expansion

> Frost susceptibility

> Chalk Crushing Value

> Saturated Moisture content

> Density & Porosity

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In Situ Geotechnical Testing

Whether it’s for compliance testing, earthworks validation or stability of platforms

for piling rigs and cranes our experienced team of field technicians will give you a

professional independent assessment of the underlying materials.

The flexibility of our team and methods we adopt mean that our clients will always be

given the option that’s best suited to the conditions encountered on site.

We are also able to offer sampling of soils and aggregates.

> Plate Bearing Tests

> In-Situ California Bearing Ratio (CBR)

> In-Situ Density Testing

> Sampling

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